Parliament was originally The Parliaments, a doo-wop group based out of George Clinton's Plainfield, New Jersey barber shop. The name was soon abandoned due to legal issues with Revilot and Atlantic Records, and most of the same people recorded under the name Funkadelic, which consisted of The Parliaments' backing musicians. Billy "Bass" Nelson is credited with creating the name Funkadelic. He also switched from 6-string guitar to bass, creating room for his childhood friend Eddie Hazel to join the group. Soon, Parliament was created in addition to Funkadelic and the two bands consisted of essentially the same people, though both released albums under their respective names.
The legal problems with the name "The Parliaments" were resolved in 1970, and Clinton signed all of Funkadelic to Invictus Records under the name Parliament, releasing Osmium ("The Breakdown" reached #30 on the R&B charts in 1971) but the name Parliament was then abandoned for some time, as Funkadelic was much more successful.
In the early 1970s, Bernie Worrell, Bootsy Collins and Catfish Collins joined Funkadelic, which released five albums by 1974. With only moderate success, Funkadelic signed with Casablanca Records as Parliament, releasing "Up for the Down Stroke" (off the album of the same name) which reached #10 on the R&B charts but peaked at #63 Pop. The song was the biggest hit of P Funk's career. 1975 saw the release of Chocolate City, which also enjoyed moderate success; the title track reached #24.
With the ensuing albums, Parliament became one of the most respected bands on the 1970s, and are now recognized as one of the forefathers of funk music. Of particular interest are the spacey themes of Starchild, Sir Nose and other recurring characters from multiple albums.
Of particular note is the landmark album Mothership Connection, an amalgam of many '70s themes and the tight "popular" funk sound which was both more commercially viable (particularly in the black community) and more readily emulated by the numerous artists capitalizing on the popularity of funk's mainstream cousin: disco. Artists such as the BeeGees, the Commodores and Kool and the Gang repackaged many of Parliament's innovations into radio-ready pop hits and upon the mass acceptance of disco culture as portrayed in Saturday Night Fever, millions of suburban Americans were able to boogie-oogie-oogie safely protected from exposure to the urban dance scene's multi-ethnic, sexually diverse and cocaine-fueled celebration.
In the early 1980s, with legal difficulties arising from the multiple names used by multiple groups, as well as a shakeup at Casablanca Records, George Clinton dissolved Parliament and Funkadelic as recording and touring entities. Parliament/Funkadelic morphed into P-Funk. New audiences were fueled in the '90s due to extensive sampling by hip hop DJs and producers, including beats used in The Chronic and Cypress Hill's debut album.
A variety of bands evolved in their own right out of the main two bands - they included Bootsy's Rubber Band, The Brides of Funkenstein, Parlet, Mutiny, The Horny Horns, and Quazar.
George Clinton subsequently worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Reformed in January 2018, the first new Parliament release in 38 years was "I'm Gon Make U Sick O'Me", which features the rapper Scarface. A new Parliament album, Medicaid Fraud Dogg, was released in May 2018.
Party People
Parliament Lyrics
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Oh, a big boogie!
We are those party people (we are those party people)
We're all about a good time
We are those party people, uh-huh
People start thumpin'
And I'm just pitchin' a fit
We are those party people, uh-huh
People are itchin'
They can't stop twitchin'
Funk's gonna scratch their itch
Ooga-Boogie
Yabba-dabba-da-da-da-da-da-dee-da-da
Where are all the party people at?
Where have all the party people gone?
Yabba-dabba-da-da-da-da-da-dee-da-da
Da-da
We're all about fun, we're all about having big fun
We are those party people
Oh, the band was smokin'
The dancers were strokin'
And I was just pitchin' a fit
We are those party people
Oh, they were itchin'
Music had them twitchin'
Funk's gonna scratch their itch
We are those party people
And we're all about a real good time
Ooga-boogie!
It's all about fun
It's all about having big fun
It's all about fun
Yabba-dabba-da-da-da-da-da-dee-da-da
Ooga-boogie!
We are those party people
Ahh, foot funk y'all
And if you don't believe I'm down
Get down, get up, get on, get off
Turn me loose on the dancefloor
It's all about fun (It's all about having some fun)
It's all about having big fun (It's all about big fun)
It's all about fun, it's all about having big fun
We are those party people
We're all about a good time
Do you want to turn (turn us a-loose) (ooh hoo)
Turn us a-loose (turn us a-loose) (ooh hoo)
If you like, you can turn us a loose (turn us a-loose) (ooh hoo)
Turn us a-loose (turn us a-loose) (ooh hoo)
Da da
Da da da da
It's about big fun, all about big fun
Yabba-dabba-da-da-da-da-da-dee-da-da
Ooga-boogie!
We are those party people
Ahh, foot funk y'all
And if you don't believe I'm down
Get down, get up, get on, get off
Turn me loose on the dancefloor
It's all about fun
It's all about having big fun
We are those party people
We're all about a good time
Turn us a loose, ooh hoo
Da da
Da da da da
It's about big fun, all about big fun
About big fun
We are those party people
Yes, we are those party people
We're all about a real good time
Real good time
We're all about a real good time
Real good time
People all over the world
Are having big fun
Turn us a loose, ooh hoo
If you want you can dance, dance, turn us a loose
Ooga-boogie
And if you don't believe I'm down
Get down, get up, get on, get off
Turn me loose on your dancefloor, yeah
Ooga-boogie
It's about big fun
All about big fun
Turn me a-loose
The lyrics of Parliament's song "Party People" describe a group of people who are all about having a good time and enjoying themselves. The band starts playing and the energy in the room becomes electric, with people dancing and having fun. The lyrics speak to the infectious nature of funk music and how it can compel people to let loose and have a great time. The chorus repeats that they are "those party people" who are all about having fun.
The verses delve further into the party scene, with people itching and twitching to the funky beat. The song emphasizes that it's not just about having any kind of fun, but specifically big fun. Throughout the song, there are repeated references to getting loose, dancing, and unleashing oneself on the dancefloor. Overall, "Party People" is a celebration of the joy and excitement that comes from being in a room full of people who are all there to have a good time.
Line by Line Meaning
We are those party people
We are a group of people who love to party
we're all about a good time
Our focus is solely on having fun and enjoying ourselves
People start thumpin'
The rhythm and beat of the music make people dance
Funk's gonna scratch their itch
The funk music will satisfy their dancing desires
Where are all the party people at?
Wondering where other like-minded partygoers are
It's all about fun
The main priority is to have a good time
Yabba-dabba-da-da-da-da-da-dee-da-da
Nonsensical lyrics to add to the fun and whimsy of the song
Da-da
Continuation of the nonsensical lyrics
Ahh, foot funk y'all
Exclamation regarding the funky music making people dance
Turn me loose on the dancefloor
Allow me the freedom to dance and have fun
If you want you can dance, dance, turn us a loose
Encouragement to join in on the party and dance
It's about big fun
Reiterating that the sole purpose of the party is to have a grand time
Real good time
Fun at this party is of the highest quality
People all over the world
Acknowledging that people everywhere enjoy partying
Ooga-boogie
Another nonsensical phrase to keep the mood light and fun
Lyrics © A SIDE MUSIC LLC D/B/A MODERN WORKS MUSIC PUBLISHING, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: WILLIAM(BOOTSY) EARL COLLINS, GEORGE CLINTON, GARRY MARSHALL SHIDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind